New member researching and looking for guidance

[JaySquared]

Hi everyone, new member here. Love the site and looks like I'll be getting lots of information.
I've always thought I'd build a kit, but time isn't a luxury, just yet, and decided to start looking at picking up a pre-owned.
I recently hit the half century mark and the Mid Life bug has bitten me hard. I've loved cars since I can remember, always had something that I could tinker with and could never leave anything stock. It was time for my next toy, project...
The problem was deciding which way to go with a car to enjoy. The other day I was out at one of my favorite outdoor restaurants, watching the beautiful SoFl cars pass by. The one that stuck out the most was a replica Cobra in traditional blue and white. I've always loved these kit Cobras and Daytona. I never thought I could afford one, but thought to check online and found that there were some in my range. Now the problem was that I really didn't know much about these kit cars, and here I am.
I'm glad I found this site and will be educating myself before asking any questions lol. I'll start with this: budget in the $15-20k range, Daytona body, doesn't have to be show quality but sounds good, looks good from 20', weekend cruiser, and can be modified over time.
Thanks to all for stopping by and I look forward to my time here.
Oh, the sig pic is me at a car show...not my Cobra

[twobjshelbys]

Did you look at the recent history? It seems that this question gets asked at least once a week. The answers are always the same.

Start by looking at 427 Cobra Country--Ford AC Cobra replica manufacturers SUPER-SITE to start getting an idea of availability and prices. But your budget probably precludes either a roadster and especially a coupe. It is easy to spend 20K just on the engine.

Good Luck!

[LMH]

First thing you do is get with some owners close to you and talk to them, go for a ride and see what you like and don’t like. Your budget may not get you into a coupe but I can tell you they are hard to live with. Small door, low roof and a lot to crawl over makes it hard to get in and out of. Something you need to look at before buying.
Anyway, explore your options with locals first.
Larry

[MOTORHEAD]

An incomplete CMC kit just appeared in the ads here on CC. $15k+/-

Ted

[JaySquared]

Thanks for the feedback so far! I didn't realize about the Daytona being difficult to get in and out of. I also realize my budget is low, but was optimistic from a Daytona ad I found (elsewhere,not here), and realize it might've been a bogus listing.
I checked out Cobra country. Maybe I'm still too new to this, but that sight is a little difficult to follow. No disrespect intended.
I definitely agree that I need to do some test driving and attend meets. I recently went to a cars and coffee in West Palm Beach, but missed my opportunity to talk to the Cobra guys. Hopefully they'll be at the next show.
I also like the idea of having someone knowledgeable check out prospects.
Thanks again!

[eschaider]

Tony (twobjshelbys) touched on something you need to resolve at the front end of your quest. A $20K budget will not get the job done!

Unless you buy a finished car, you will have to buy the basic car, in either kit or roller form. A complete kit less the drive train is going to approximate your $20K budget you set and then some. An engine will represent essentially another $20K and then you still have to build the kit, supply a transmission and drivetrain components.

The kit build, if you are comfortable with body panel finishing, painting, electrical and general fabrication (including welding) will work you physically and mentally. If you are not comfortable with those projects and the required skills, then you have to budget for buying them from someone else.

The paint is the obvious big buck item. If you can find it in the $5-6K you are in the hunt. Small component fabrication is easier today with 3D CAD software and CNC job shops but still stunningly expensive. I had a billet aluminum oil manifold built at a CNC job shop for a dry sump style external wet sump pump from a 3D sketch I did. The manifold was $500, the pump was another $500. Pulleys, belts, and plumbing were several hundred more.

These cars, whether you buy them as kits or rollers and finish them or you buy them as a well built, properly sorted, quality used example are very difficult to get below ~$50 - 60K. There are lots of examples that, 'just need a little TLC', which new buyers think they can buy and cut some corners, expense-wise. That usually does not work out the way they originally thought it would.

In the end, the buyer who thought he could build the budget replica usually throws in the financial towel a few years down the road and runs a for sale ad that reads like something like this;

"Excellent condition XXXX Cobra Replica best of everything, nearly complete, must sell because _______ (fill in the blanks)." The blanks could be getting married, buying a new home, the dog bit the neighbor or any number of other outrageous excuses.

If indeed you buy the car, you will find the low budget approach caused the original owner to buy components you don't want to use. By the time you get all the incorrect 'stuff' replaced with correct 'stuff' the car is way over the economical budget you thought you could build it for. Sometimes you sell it with an ad like the one you bit for. Sometimes you finish the build wishing all the while you just went out and bought that nicely finished one way back when.

BTW buying good finished ones takes a bit of skill (usually obtained though previous ownership and building experience). The best bet for happiness is buy a roller from one of the manufacturers, buy an engine from a shop like Lykins Motorsports or Craft Engines and have an experienced installer put it all together for you.

The cost will be in the $80K to $100K+ area when you are done — depending on the roller you select. If you pick a high end car like a Kirkham you will love it to death and go by the $100K so fast it will make your head spin. If you buy a roller from ERA, SPF, FFR etc you will be in the $80K and up window depending on who you select.

There are no cheap seats left in this particular sort of project. When you think you have found one you will discover, usually after it is too late, there are additional monies required to bring the car to what you want it to be. If you forge ahead and spend the monies, there is always the buyers remorse associated with discovering this was not the smartest way to approach the project.

Bottomline, these cars have become expensive over the years. Good used examples can usually be had for $30K or so less than you would spend to build a comparable car. It will be very hard to escape these days without spending ~$50 - 60K for a quality used one and probably around $100K to build new — unless you buy a Kirkham, which are to die for replicas.

If the $20K budget is a real number you would do yourself a very big favor by not beginning the project.


Ed

[Ron61]

First welcome to the site. I agree with what the others said about your budget being kind of low, but I have a Daytona Coupe and I have no problem getting in and out of it. However I am only 6 feet tall and weigh 195 pounds so if you are taller or weigh a lot more then you may have a problem. The generation 3 Factory Five Daytona is a little larger and easier to get in and out of than the earlier ones so you might take a look at them. But I really don't think that even if you build one yourself you can do it for what you budgeted. However don't give up and get discouraged. Keep looking and checking all makes and find what you like best. Best of luck and I hope that you find one that fits your needs soon.

Ron

[Alfa02]

First off, Welcome JaySquared, to the madness that is Cobra. Never like to burst a guy's bubble, but eschaider is spot on about everything he said. The best course of action is to go into a project, buying used, etc. with eyes open. This is the best advice I can give, and I've raced cars for years so I know about cost ! Whatever your budget, times that by 3, and you should be close. Cobra's even replicas, cost large amount's of money, sorry but it's a fact. wishing you well, Tom.

[DanEC]

Welcome. You can have a lot of fun looking but your budget just isn't realistic for a running car. If you find something close to that range I would be very concerned about it's content and safety. A Daytona in particular is just not anywhere in sight of your expectations. If you can get closer to the upper 20s you might start to find a few cars that are primarily donor based (Mustang) and possibly a bit rough around the edges, but hopefully drivable and relatively safe. Just from shear numbers produced, most of them will probably be FFR based but there may be a scattering of others. You might even look for an up and running kit that hasn't been painted yet. That happens as paint is a big cost hit and some put it off to last. You can drive it in gel coat or primer for a couple years until you can get ready to paint it. Painting one of these is fairly expensive however - they take a whole lot of body prep before the painting even starts.

[twobjshelbys]

It is a disservice to try to convince this guy that he can get a completed Cobra for 20K. It's kind of like trying to buy a house in San Francisco for $100K. Sure, you might find one but it's going to need $1M in fixer-upper repairs and you'll have to wait for years to find it (meanwhile prices go up). Same with a Cobra. A 20K Cobra is likely to be an unfinished kit being abandoned by an estate. You might find one, but you're going to have to finish it, with a fair amount of skills and tools needed, and then you still have to put an engine and transmission in it. And then you have to sort it out. Then you'll get 40K into the project and start to get frustrated after two years and sell it for 20K.

Think carefully if this is a path you want to go down.

And you won't get even close to a Kirkham for 100K. As a beginner, stay away from aluminum. Get your feet wet with fiberglass. If you decide you like the Cobra and want to upgrade then consider Kirkham (or Shelby American).

[cycleguy55]

Originally Posted by twobjshelbys

It is a disservice to try to convince this guy that he can get a completed Cobra for 20K. It's kind of like trying to buy a house in San Francisco for $100K. Sure, you might find one but it's going to need $1M in fixer-upper repairs and you'll have to wait for years to find it (meanwhile prices go up). Same with a Cobra. A 20K Cobra is likely to be an unfinished kit being abandoned by an estate. You might find one, but you're going to have to finish it, with a fair amount of skills and tools needed, and then you still have to put an engine and transmission in it. And then you have to sort it out. Then you'll get 40K into the project and start to get frustrated after two years and sell it for 20K.

Think carefully if this is a path you want to go down.

And you won't get even close to a Kirkham for 100K. As a beginner, stay away from aluminum. Get your feet wet with fiberglass. If you decide you like the Cobra and want to upgrade then consider Kirkham (or Shelby American).

I bought a West Coast Cobra in 2014 that was okay cosmetically, but a bit of a 'fixer-upper' mechanically. I did almost all the work myself, so very little $$$ for labor, but I estimate I've spent nearly $15K on safety and reliability upgrades - nothing to do with enhancing performance. Add in labor and you've easily got another $30-40K.

On a more positive note, the appraised value reflects the current state of the car, so I'm not dissatisfied. It's just very important to know what you're signing up for.

Think long and hard before taking the plunge.

[JaySquared]

Thanks for all the replies and great advice. Been doing a bit of scouring on the web and my budget is definitely too low.
Looks like I'll continue to be a fan and spectator for now.

[twobjshelbys]

How about a lotus 7? ( the prisoner car) some at or slightly above your price range and not so much pressure to be period correct

[JaySquared]

Originally Posted by twobjshelbys

How about a lotus 7? ( the prisoner car) some at or slightly above your price range and not so much pressure to be period correct

I like that idea a lot, hadn't considered those. Any suggestions where I can search for pre-owned models? I've checked Auto trader, hemmings and classic car sites.
Thanks again.

[1795]

Time Machines is a dealer for the Caterham Seven, which looks a lot like the onus Seven. I have no idea on the pricing, but when I was out there recently to pick up some parts for the race car they had a couple there that they were working on. Nice looking car.

[t walgamuth]

I think its possible to get a nice 7 for a bit less than a cobra. The 7s though are very low. I just sold mine which was a dedicated autocrosser. It sits so low I would not want to drive it on the street with all the lifted pickups roaring around with the driver texting. If you don't plan to drive it in the street they are very very quick. A cobra probaly will be more visible on the street. I plan to street mine when it is roadworthy. It sits up higher and makes a load of noise so hopefully will not get run over. I suspect a decent 7 will cost 25 and a decent cobra 35?

[twobjshelbys]

Catheram bought the rights to the Lotus 7. It's essentially a "continuation".

Hillbank is also a Catheram dealer.

Autotrader has lots of them and they come on the market often so finding a good one ought to be easy. Hillbank also has used stock.

As with any remote purchase you'll want to either buy from a reputable dealer or get a qualified person do do a pre-purchase inspection. The technicalities of a 7 are going to be less than for a Cobra though.

[t walgamuth]

I don't see the cobra as being any more complicated than a 7....except perhaps it has 8 cylinders instead of 4 (though there are seven replicas with v6 and v8 power.

But my cobra is pretty simple....bout as complicated as a garden tractor.

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by twobjshelbys

It's kind of like trying to buy a house in San Francisco for $100K. Sure, you might find one but it's going to need $1M in fixer-upper repairs and you'll have to wait for years to find it (meanwhile prices go up).

For the record, the cheapest house in San Francisco sold for around $560,000. And you'll need at least $1,000,000 to fix it up. So, $100,000 buys you nothing.

https://www.hunker.com/13710079/you-...-just-sold-for

[Fozzie]

Originally Posted by twobjshelbys

It is a disservice to try to convince this guy that he can get a completed Cobra for 20K. It's kind of like trying to buy a house in San Francisco for $100K. Sure, you might find one but it's going to need $1M in fixer-upper repairs and you'll have to wait for years to find it (meanwhile prices go up). Same with a Cobra. A 20K Cobra is likely to be an unfinished kit being abandoned by an estate. You might find one, but you're going to have to finish it, with a fair amount of skills and tools needed, and then you still have to put an engine and transmission in it. And then you have to sort it out. Then you'll get 40K into the project and start to get frustrated after two years and sell it for 20K.

Think carefully if this is a path you want to go down.

And you won't get even close to a Kirkham for 100K. As a beginner, stay away from aluminum. Get your feet wet with fiberglass. If you decide you like the Cobra and want to upgrade then consider Kirkham (or Shelby American).

*KUDOS* For the honesty on the forum.

Before he died, my dad was self employed building kit Cobras in the mid-80's to early 2000's. But then he realized, there were a bunch of people who needed help finishing "entry-level" kits they started. He was quite lucrative helping people who got in over their heads.

While it may sound harsh, it's better to find out all of this stuff now!